Air control ring



Nov. 3, 1953 R. c. BRIERLY AIR CONTROL RING 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 6, 1948 INVENTOR. RALPH c. zap/my A T TOEWE Y Nov. 3, 1953 R. c. BRIERLY AIR CONTROL RING 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 6, 1948 INVENTOR. RALPH C. BP/ERLY BY %W@% ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 3, 1953 UNI-TED STATES PATENT OFF I C E (Granted'under Title 3-5,. U; S Code? (1952),

sec. 266) This invention relates to improvementsin aircontrol' registers of furnaces; and more particularly' pertains to improvements in furnace aircontrol opening rings adaptedfor'use' as'a burner throat or as a back plate inv conjunction" with air-control registers or diffusers. The subject device can. be used either in conjunction with air-control registers such as those described in Ui S. Patent to E. H. Peabody; No. 2,210,428, dated August 6,1940, and in U. S. Patent to E. G. Peterson, No; 2",190190, dated February 13; 1940, or with diffusers of the types disclosed in applicants U. S. Patent applications No. 655,358; filed' March I8; 194'6; now abandoned; No; 724,219, filed January 24', 1947, now' Patent No;. 2,633,908, issued: April '7', 1953; and No. 724,220, filed January 24; 1947, new Patent No. 638,974; issued May-19, 1953, singlyorirr groups; in lieu" of' conventional air cont'rol" registers:

The subject" device provides structure of the general nature of strips or tabs in' the form of curvilinear triangles filling the areas between the present type circular orpol'ygonalbase rings of air-control registers and the adjacent curved bases of: the register doors when the latter are in opened position. Such structure diminishes appreciably the. tendency toward pulsation and unsteadin'ess of air flow andiirregularity' of combustion that are. consequences of air slip. along the lengths of the doors and" from the lower edges of such. doors;

The primary object of thisinvention istoiprovide air-register control: structure adapted to control air flow about? furnace fuel-injector ele ments, especially when the latter'are grouped in clusters or rosettes.v

Another object is to provide a furnace aircontrol opening ring adapted. to minimize. air slip along the lengths of register doors and from the lower edges of such doors; and to thereby diminish. the tendency towardapulsation and-unsteadiness of air flow" andi irregularity of: combustion.

A; further. object is. to providean improved back-plate. for air control registers.

Qther objects/and. many of the; attendant: advantages of this invention will be readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of an air-control rin showing in phantom section a frusto-conical aircontrol door in operable position;

Fig. 2 is a section taken on the line 2--2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3" is a plan view of an air-control ring, showing another embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 4 is a section taken on the line 5-4 of Fig; 3*;

Fig; 5 is a plan view of an air-control ring, showing still another embodiment of the invent'ion; and showing in phantom difiusercarrying hexagons in rosette form mounted therein;

Fig; 6 is a section taken on the line 6-5 of Fig. 5

Fig; 7 is a plan view of an air-control ring constituting a further embodiment of the invention', showing inphantom a multiple arrangement of diffusers; and

Fig. 8- is a section taken on" the line 8-3' of Fig. 7'.

Similarnumerals refer to throughout the severalviews.

The preferredembodiment of the invention shown in Fig: I comprises aring I! adapted to be mounted in the burner throat of a conventional furnace and aplurality of air-control surfaces I3. Said surfaces [3 together define a frusto-conical member, and are so shaped as to each" mate with the lower edge of one of a system of frusto-conieal air control doors as such dooris rotated about its hinged end. Such a: door I5 is shown 'in phantom section in Figs. 1" and 2; such door l5 being rotatable about a hinge positioned at point ll. Such door it is an element of asystem of six frusto-conical aircontrol' doors. In such structure; it is preferred to construct the air-control surfaces in such a manner that the" radius of are A equals the radius of arc B and the'radius of are C', with the'r'adiusof' arc Cbeing the radius of the lower edge ofthe frust'o conical air control doors l5. Where a different number of doors is employed, other relative dimensions may prove optimum.

Each control surface lt-has the general shape of a; spherical triangle, the baseof the triangle being'locate'd" on the ring I I and the other two sides. being, directed toward the center of the ring Hi In lieu of" the concave arrangement illustrated in" Figs. 1' and 2; said surfaces can eachzbe fiat'arrdf can lieirr the plane of the ring H". In such form, said ring is of superior utility when employed with multiple diffusers, especially when air registers such as the doors it are not used.

The modification shown in Figs. 3 and 4 includes a first ring ll adapted to be mounted in the burner throat of a conventional furnace and a plurality of air-control surfaces I3 identical in shape and arrangement with those shown in similar parts Figs. 1 and 2. Added thereto and carried in spaced relation therefrom by an annular bridging element i9 is a second ring 2|. Said second ring 2! is provided with a plurality of air-control surfaces 23 that together define a frusto-conical member similar to the member defined by the surfaces of the first ring H. Such surfaces 23 are constructed so as to provide spherical triangles similar to the spherical triangles of ring H but positioned intermediately of the triangles of ring i I, as shown in Fig, 3, the triangles of rings ii and 2! having superposed apexes.

In the embodiment shown in Figs. 5 and 6 the ring i i carries a control surface having an inner edge that forms an eighteen-sided polygon 25 cirouinscribing a rosette constructed of seven hexagons 2?, so as to provide six equidistantly disposed inwardly pointing V-shaped projections. Diffusers such as the types shown in said U. S. Patent applications Nos. 655,358, 724,219 and 724,220 can be mounted in such hexagons. In addition, a star-shaped manifold 25 can be employed to facilitate fuel injection and control.

Figs. 7 and 3 show the air-control ring of Figs. 1 and 2 with the addition of curved-edge triangular inserts 3! between adjacent air-control surfaces. lhis provides a. rose-window-like arrangement having a central rosette area of superior utility for use with multiple diffusers of the types shown in said U. S. Patent applications 655,358; 724,219 and 724.220, and can be used with or without conventional air registers of the types hereinabove mentioned. The ring ll of Figs. 7 and 8 is shown to the opposi e hand to that of the ring of Figs. 1 and 2 to indicate that either can be used for the purposes described.

it is to be noted that each additional intermediate control surface 3i likewise has the general shape of a spherical triangle, the apex of such triangle being located at the ring i i and the two sides of such triangle being coincident with the two adjacent sides of adjacent control surfaces 3. The bases of the spherical triangles 3! and the apexes of the control surfaces I3 form semi-circles, each constituting a portion of the periphery of a seven-tangent-circle rosette 35, the whole resembling what is known in architecture as a rose or marigold window with tracery.

iifusers 35, such as the diffusers disclosed in said U. S. Patent applications 655,358; 724,219 and 724,220, are shown in phantom in the center and the petals of the rosette. A star-shaped fuel manifold 28 is also shown in phantom.

In operation, air entering laterally against the air diffusers to an extent of the order of 50% or more, as indicated in Figs. 5 and 6, has a pronounced steadying effect on air flow intermixture taking place in the plane of the fire face of such diffusers. By virtue of the design and position of the air foil surfaces 13 and optimum operation of multiple-rosetted firing devices is obtained. In effect, component members of the cluster operate as satisfactorily and efiiciently as though each one were disposed separately on a fire front and possessed a completely circular furnace opening ring of its own.

Obviously many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in the light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

The invention described herein be manufactured and used by or for the Government of the United States of America for governmental purposes without the payment of any royalties thereon or therefor,

I claim:

1. A furnace air-control ring comprising an annular element adapted to be seated in the throat of a burner and a plurality of triangular deflecting plates having bases defining a line common with the inner circumference of said element and extending inwardly therefrom, said plates defining non-planar surfaces diverging shallowly from the plane of said element.

2. A furnace air-control ring comprising an annular element adapted to be seated in the throat of a burner and a plurality of triangular deflecting plates having bases defining a line common with the inner circumference of said element and extending inwardly therefrom, said plates defining non-planar surfaces having edges of equal radii and diverging shallowly from the plane of said element.

3. A furnace air-control ring comprising an annular element adapted to be seated the throat of a burner and a plurality of spherical triangle deflecting plates extending inwardly therefrom, said plates defining non-planar surfaces diverging shallowly froin the plane of said element and having bases defining a line common with the inner circumference of said element.

4. A furnace air-control ring comprising an annular element adapted to be seated in the throat of a burner and a plurality of spherical triangle deflecting plates extending inwardly at a shallow angle therefrom to define the central air opening of such burner.

RALPH C. BRIERLY.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,235,855 Stillman, Jr. Aug. 7, 1917 1,990,695 Jerome Feb. 12, 1935 2,260,062 Stillman Oct. 21, 1941 2,347,594 De Lin Apr. 25, 1944 2,496,775 C'adella Feb. 7, 1950 

